Railway-rail joint.



A. A. GROSE.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED A9013. 1915.

1,1 6 1,479. Patented Nov. 23,,1915.

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' ni* an AMOS A. GROSE, OF MADISON TOWNSHIP, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application filed August 23, 1915. Serial No. 46,952.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Autos A. Gnosn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Madison township, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved rail joint, wherein the meeting ends of the rails are of complementary formation to provide cooperating lips and recesses constructed to positively interlock and prevent endwise separation.

The essential element of connection'ofthe improved joint resides in an integral tongue on each rail adapted to enter a corresponding recess of the other rail end, the tongue and wall of the recess having offset projections forming hook like elements which engage to prevent possibility of endwise separation.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a supplemental holding means to reinforce the hook connection, the supplemental reinforce permitting a slight relative lateral movement of the rail when under abnormal conditions, and re-alining the rear ends upon cessation of such abnormal strain.

The invention in the preferred form of details will be described in the following speciflcation, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation partly in section of the improved joint; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the rails; Fig. 6 is a broken vertical sectional view illustrating the supplemental fastening means; Fig. 7 is a broken face view of the web portion of the rail end to illustrate spring holding means; Fig. 8 is a side view of the nut illustrating the spring engaging means.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the preferred detail of construction it will be noted that the respective meeting ends of the rails are of duplicate formation.

The following description therefore which 1n-general is limited to one rail end is to be taken as indicating the detail structure of each rail end.

Providing the improved rail connection the rail end has the tread 1 thereof arranged to terminate on a line diagonal with respect to the'length of the rail, such end surface 2 having the extreme edge portions thereof as 3 extending in opposite directions from and at right angles to the line of cut. This disposition is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings and provides for an interfit in the meeting ends of the rails throughout their tread portions. 7

The base flanges 4 are cuton similar diagonal lines and at one edge thereof the flange is extended beyond the diagonal line of cut in a longitudinally extending tongue 5 which is upstruck so as to lie in a plane slightly above the normal plane of the base flange. The particular base flange at the opposite end of the diagonal line of cut is formed with a keeper 6 preferably by laterally projecting and return bending a length of the base material, as more clearly illus trated in Fig. 5. The formation provides a keeper having an interior opening 7 of a size and so located as to accurately receive the tongue 5 of the opposing rail end. The web 8 of the rail is, a short distance rearwardly from the rail end deflected to one side to form what may be hereinafter termed a pocket 9, such rail end in advance of the pocket being continued laterally in the vertical plane of the diagonal line of out of the tread and base flange, said laterally deflected portion 10 being hereinafter termed the web face. Immediately in advance of the pocket 9 and at a point approximately midway its height the web face is formed with an opening 11, this opening being by this disposition practically in line with the plane of the main length of the web. Beyond the opening toward the free end of the web the face wall is of gradually increasing thickness as at 12, the proportion of thickness being such that what may be termed the forward wall of the face 13 is in alinement with the surface 1 V of the main length of the web. The thickened portion is in horizontal alinement with the opening 11, that is, said Web above and below the thickened portion is of normal web thickness.

By this construction of the end of the web face there is provided approximately-cert trally of the height thereof air-enlargement, and the end of such enlargement is formed with a recess 14, so that beyond the Webv face proper the formation of the recess -14 provides a tongue 15, which tongue extends in the same direction as the Web proper and slightly to one side thereof. The terminal of the tongue 15 on the relatively inner side, that is the side nextpt'he web face, is formed to provide a hook '16, the recess 14 coinciding with the hook formation. 'The edge wall of 'the' opening 11 forming the relatively rearboundary of same is also formed with a hook projection 17, that is the end of the pocket 9 terminates in such'hook projection, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. V

In associating the rail ends 'for interlocking it is designed to mate the respective tongues and openings by sufficient pressure and through such angular disposition of the rails as to cause the hooks of thetongues and opening walls to interlock when the rail ends are brought into exact alining position, whereby possibility of endwise separation, to a very, material extent is precluded. The cooperating tongues and openings are designed for extremely close fitting and it is contemplated that machine force may be 7 used if necessary in associating the rail ends to cause their interlock as described, under which force the respective cooperating hook ends may yield sufficiently to permit them to be sprung to interlocking engagement.

' As a supplemental means for securing the connection to prevent possibility of endwise separation in the event the hook ends should become inoperative I form. the re spective web faces of the meeting ends of the rails adjacent the openings therein, each with an opening 18 to receive a locking bolt 19. The bolt is headed at 20 and threaded at the opposite end as at 21 to receive a nut 22, and a coil spring 23 is arrangedlbetween the nut and proximate surface of the web.

may yield laterally to an operative degree under abnormal strain, the spring serving to restore normal conditions of the parts in relief of the strain.

hat is claimed is:

1. 'Arail end having a web portion thereof defiected on a diagonal line to provide a web face, said face being .formed with a tongue and an opening arranged in horizontal alinement and in offset relation, the terminal of the tongue having a hook end.

2. A rail end having a Web portion thereof deflected, on a diagonal line to provide a web "face, said face being formed with a tongue and an opening arranged 1n horizontal alinement and in offset relation, the terminal of the tongue having a hook end, and

ing means engaging the rail faces of both rai'l ends.

4. A rail end having a web portion thereof defiected on a diagonal line to provide a web face, said face being formed with a 'tongueand an opening arranged in horizontal alinement and in offset relation, the terminal of the tongue having a hook end, and one wall of the opening having a hook projection to receive the hook tongue of the opposing rail end, and a locking bolt engaging the web faces of meeting rail ends, said bolt being passed through the web faces intermediate the tongues and openings thereof.

5. A rail end having a Web portion thereof deflected on a diagonal line to provide a web face, said face being formed with a tongue and an opening arranged in horizontal alinement and in offset relation, the terminal of the tongue having a hook end, and one wall of the opening having a hook projection to receive the hook tongue of the opposing rail end, and a locking bolt engaging the web faces of meeting rail ends, "said bolt being passed through the web faces intermediate the tongues and openings thereof, a nut engaging the bolt and a spring arranged intermediate the nut and web face.

6. A rail end having a web portion thereof deflected on a diagonal line to provide a web face, said face being formed with a tongue and an opening arranged in horizontal alinement and in offset relation, the terminal of the tongue having a hook end, and web face, said spring having adjustable in- 10 one wall of the opening having a hook 'proterlocking cooperation with the nut.

jection to receive the hook tongue of the In testimony whereof I aflix my signature opposing rail end, and a locking bolt enin presence of two Witnesses.

gaging the web faces of meeting rail ends,

said bolt being passed through the Web AMOS GROSE faces intermediate the tongues and open- Witnesses:

ings thereofla nut engaging the bolt and a LULA W. Coon,

spring arranged intermediate the nut and GEORGE J. OLTSCH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

